Goddess Fish Blog Tour Review of Mad Dog and The Archangel by Kat Henry Doran

Publisher: Wild Rose Press
Release Date: January 11, 2012
Buying Links:  Wild Rose Press


Book Blurb:

Class of '85 Series

Rafael Archangeli comes back home to Summerville to bury an old friend, collect his inheritance, and then return to the only life he knows--conning wealthy women out of their money. In Rafe's world, money not only equals success, it goes a long way to obliterate the stigma of his past.

Grace Dunavan, former nun turned community activist, gave up worldly goods a long time ago with no regrets. But she's never known a man with the raw appeal of the Scourge of Summerville: Rafael Archangeli.

Their first meeting is like an errant strike of lightning, fierce and stunning in intensity, and takes both by surprise.

Has Grace turned Rafe into a changed man? Or is he using his inheritance to pull off the biggest scam of his life?

Teaser:

"He should be strung up by his considerably large brass balls and left there to hang until they rot off -or until tiny rodents gnaw them into unidentifiable bits of protoplasm." "Remind me never to get you pissed at me."

My Thoughts:

I really enjoyed this book. My attention was grabbed from the first line and never flagged. It's not just a love story but also a story about second chances and redemption. Rafael AKA Archangel had a troubled childhood and teen years, and his adult life hasn't been much easier. He made some wrong choices, but he's starting to turn his life around. Unfortunately, many of the people he knew growing up are not inclined to give him a chance.

Grace AKA Mad Dog for some crazy chances she took when she was younger, is a former nun who is passionate about helping people and giving second chances. She is instantly attracted to Rafael, which is unusual for her. She also believes in second chances, and encourages Rafael to make changes in his life.

There are a few cliches, and some minor punctuation issues, but the story was engaging. Like I said, it held my attention. I really liked both Grace and Rafe, though Rafe was a bit more developed. Their attraction and romance was a bit quick, but again, I was so involved that I didn't mind. One of the things I really liked was the integration of social issues with the story, especially as abuse and rape are issues I feel strongly about. While they  were part of the story line, Doran didn't let them take over the story. She pointed out the difficulties that victims and advocates face without shoving it down out throats, neither are they there as token problems. It's a romance with some depth. "Mad Dog and The Archangel" isn't perfect but it's good and well worth reading

I received a PDF for review.

**** Also, Kat will give one random commenter from the entire tour, a Funky Bag and a Toiletries Bag from Kats Kustom KarryAlls, US and Canada only, sorry. The more you comment, the better your chance of winning. The tour dates can be found here:  http://goddessfishpromotions.blogspot.com/2011/11/virtual-book-tour-mad-dog-and-archangel.html